Tuco ponders one-song rule
Posted: Thursday, March 25, 2004
By Terry Joseph
RESPONDING to widely expressed audience disenchantment with the existing format of the calypso segment of Dimanche the calypso segment of Dimanche Gras, the Trinbago Unified Calypsonians Organisation (Tuco) is contemplating a review of the number of songs each contestant renders.
"Both the amount of singers in the final and the number of songs they sing for the judges throughout the season will be part of a review of the three-step process by which we select the national calypso nonarch." Tuco president Michael "Protector" Legerton said, admitting at times that the matter had not yet been formally tabled at an executive meeting.
Legerton and Tuco marketing manager Franz "Delamo" Lambkin spoke with the Express at Crowne Plaza Friday during cocktails at the Pan Trinbago/Culture Ministry launch of a one-year pan tuning programme.
Both admitted audiences at Dimanche Gras had complained about both the length and content of the calypso component of the show and said it needed a shake-up. Lambkin said more than two years ago he suggested each singer do only one song but his recommendation was not adopted.
"The executive keeps saying it is too close to the particular Carnival to make such a drastic change," Lambkin said, "but two more seasons have passed and still there has not even been an exhaustive discussion on that proposal.
I certainly hope it is put on the agenda soon so at least the timing will no longer be a consideration."
Legerton conceded that the current format, which requires each contestant to render two songs, could result in the supreme song of a particular season not even making it to the semi-final round. "This is not an analysis of this year’s results, nor should it be reported in that context," he warned, "but we have to be cognizant of the public view if we say we are performing for them.
"It is true that the one-song format has been suggested before and perhaps we did not give it the time and discussion it deserves, so we shall seek to correct that now. We shall have to properly look at both sides of the argument but taking into consideration the weight of public opinion, it would seem the difficulties presented by the two-song system might be greater than its gains.
"With the existing set-up, even from the preliminaries, a singer who gets 99 points out of 100 for one extraordinary calypso and scores really low on the other, might be eliminated from the next round, if all the other contestants average around 70 for each of their two songs. This means the virtually perfect calypso is no longer in the running and several lesser calypsoes suddenly become superior.
Both men felt that such a radical change may not be easy to implement but agree the event needs swift solution. "It is physically impossible to have a shorter calypso segment in the present circumstances," Legerton said.
From the first official competition (then called the calypso king contest) in 1939 and until 1957, when Lord Pretender won the crown with "Que Sera, Sera", finalists were required to sing only one song. The rule changed to two songs per contestant in 1958, in which year there were six finalists.
Last Carnival, 12 calypsonians each sang two songs at the Dimanche Gras final.
Critics of the two-song adjudication system most frequently argue that winners by that route are almost invariably remembered through a single calypso, not the pair that earned them the title. There have been exceptions (most notably, Sparrow, Black Stalin, David Rudder) but even the TUCO officials to whom we spoke couldn’t swiftly call to mind the "second song" rendered by certain monarchs.
Legerton feels much good can come from reverting to the original approach.
"If we can get agreement from the majority on the one-calypso proposal, there can even be an upward adjustment in the number of calypsonians selected from the semi-final level, because the nature of the new challenge will undoubtedly produce greater variety.
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